Lupita’s Cocina to host inaugural Tequila Taste

Jose Quintero, owner of Lupita's Cocina, pours margaritas at the St. Charles restaurant. Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles will host a Tequila Tasting with a four-course meal July 30.

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(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Fruit salad, with cucumbers, romaine lettuce, pineapple, watermelon and tortilla strips, is one of the four dishes to be paired during a Tequila Tasting at Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles July 30.

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(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Pollo a la Crema, a half roasted chicken with a creamy morita sauce with a side of fresh cut warm vegetables, is one of the four dishes to be paired during a Tequila Tasting at Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles July 30.

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(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles will host a Tequila Tasting with a four-course meal July 30.

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(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Churros Con Helado, with homemade Milagro Tequila ice cream, is one of the four dishes to be paired during a Tequila Tasting at Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles July 30.

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(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Ceviche, with tilapia fish marinated in lime juice, tomato, onions, serrano, green olives and cilantro oil with a side of caviar, is one of the four dishes to be paired during a Tequila Tasting at Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles July 30.

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(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles will host a Tequila Tasting featuring several flavors of Milagro tequila paired with a four-course meal July 30.

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(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles will host a Tequila Tasting with a four-course meal July 30.

Caption

(Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Chef Roberto Barojas prepares food in the kitchen of Lupita's Cocina in St. Charles. Lupita's Cocina will host a Tequila Tasting with a four-course meal July 30.

CAMPTON HILLS – Those who attend Lupita’s Cocina’s Tequila Taste on Wednesday, July 30, will get a taste of what the Campton Hills restaurant has to offer.

“We do serve a lot of fresh fruit margaritas, and we do have a nice variety of well-known tequilas,” said restaurant owner and St. Charles resident Jose Quintero. “Lately, we’ve been working a lot with the Milagro tequila.”

This is the inaugural year for the Tequila Taste. Lupita’s Cocina, located at 40W222 LaFox Road in Campton Hills, near St. Charles, is still a relatively new restaurant, having only opened its doors last year. Quintero said he thought the event would be a good way to showcase what the restaurant does.

“This will be a good opportunity to show people exactly what we do,” he said. “We do a nice presentation on our plates.”

The Tequila Taste will start at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and reservations can be made by calling Lupita’s Cocina at 630-377-0706.

He has been planning Tequila Taste for the last two months. If the weather cooperates, the event will be held on the restaurant’s spacious outdoor patio.

“We decided this was the right time, being summertime,” Quintero said.

For $45 a person, people will receive a four-course meal, which includes ceviche, a seafood dish popular in South America, fruit salad, pollo a la crema and churros con helado.

The event also will feature several different tequilas and margaritas, including Milagro silver tequila and margarita de melon. The menu was developed by the restaurant’s chef, Roberto Barojas.

During Tequila Taste, the restaurant will educate customers about tequilas, Quintero said. Tequila was first mass produced in the early 19th century in Guadalajara, Mexico.

A few people have already reserved spots for Tequila Taste, Quintero said. The event is limited to 50 people, but Quintero said he will strive to accommodate as many people as possible.

“We might have to do a second seating or have a second one the following week,” he said.

Tequila Taste will likely expose more people to the restaurant. Quintero said the restaurant continues to gain new customers since it opened in January 2013.

“We have seen business grow by 25 percent from last year,” he said. “Obviously people know that we are here, and they tell other people about us. That’s how we get our business, through recommendations.”

Freshness is at the center of everything the restaurant does.

“We buy vegetables from some of the local gardeners and local farmers,” Quintero said.